Jake Browning has landed on an all-undrafted team, and that says a lot about both his path and the thin quarterback pool Pro Football Focus had to work with.
PFF included the Buccaneers backup quarterback on its All-Undrafted Team, pointing out that the position didn’t offer much depth to choose from. The outlet said: “Only 10 undrafted quarterbacks have recorded at least 100 dropbacks over the past three seasons. Jake Browning, who moved from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay this offseason, leads the group with 448 dropbacks and a 66.7 PFF passing grade.
Other undrafted quarterbacks who have seen meaningful action recently include Max Brosmer and Brady Cook, though neither has performed particularly well. Ravens backup Tyler Huntley also warrants consideration despite being sacked on 10.0% of his dropbacks. The gap between Browning and Huntley is small enough that either selection would be defensible.”
Huntley, a former Pro Bowler, was part of that conversation too, but Browning got the edge. PFF author Daire Carragher essentially treated the two as close enough that either one would have made sense.
For Browning, the nod comes after a strange NFL ride that started in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. He didn’t see the field until 2023, when Joe Burrow went down for the Bengals.
Browning played in nine games and started seven, helping Cincinnati go 4-3 while he led the league in completion percentage at 70.3%. He finished that stretch with 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The follow-up in 2025 was a different story. After another Burrow injury, Browning was forced back into action and the Bengals went 0-3.
His completion rate dipped to 64.8%, his yards per attempt dropped 23% from his 2023 level, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio turned negative. That slump pushed Cincinnati to trade for Joe Flacco and send Browning looking for a new team in 2026.
He found one in Tampa Bay, where he now backs up Baker Mayfield. Mayfield has missed exactly 20 dropbacks in three years with the Buccaneers, so Browning’s job is clear: stay ready, and stay out of the spotlight unless needed.
The fit, at least on paper, makes sense. With new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Tampa Bay is expected to lean on plenty of under center play action in 2026, and that’s the part of the game where Browning has been at his best. It also lined up well with what he did under Zack Taylor in Cincinnati, when Browning was able to run the offense more comfortably than Joe Burrow’s shotgun-heavy approach.
The Buccaneers have already seen what a solid backup can look like. Based on recent performance, Browning is the best one they’ve had since Blaine Gabbert, with Teddy Bridgewater last year not working out and both sides deciding to move on this offseason.
The QB3 spot is still unsettled behind him. Connor Bazelak, an undrafted free agent, beat out Kyle Trask, a former second-round pick, for the third quarterback job and spent last season on the practice squad. This year, Bazelak is battling another undrafted quarterback, Jalon Daniels out of Kansas, for the right to hold that third-string role.
For Tampa Bay, the hope is simple: Browning never has to do more than watch from the sideline unless the Bucs are already comfortably ahead. But if Mayfield goes down, the team believes Browning can keep things steady until the starter is back.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Makes High-Profile Ownership Move In Oklahoma City
Baker Mayfield is adding another line to his off-field portfolio, this time in a project that ties him back to a familiar place. The Buccaneers quarterback is joining an ownership group that includes Russell Westbrook and several other notable figures to help launch a professional soccer venture in Oklahoma City, where a new stadium is already rising as part of a broader development plan around the team.
The club is set to begin play in 2028 in the USL Championship, and the early buzz around the project has centered on both the people involved and the scale of the build. A 10,000-seat stadium designed by Populous is under construction, and Mayfield has made clear he is excited about being part of the effort and about investing in Oklahoma City's next sports chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Got Major Love For A Look Fans Always Defended
Sports Illustrateds Mike Kadlick recently took a swing at ranking all 32 NFL teams by their uniform combinations, and the Buccaneers landed at No. 6. For a franchise whose look has always invited strong opinions, that is a notable bit of national validation, especially for a current set introduced in 2020 that traded the louder design language of the previous era for something cleaner and more classic.
The current mix has given Tampa Bay a more polished identity, from the red home jerseys to the white road look with pewter pants and the Creamsicle-style throwbacks that keep the teams history in the conversation. It is also a reminder of how far the uniforms have come since the 2014-19 designs, which drew plenty of ridicule before the redesign brought the brand back to something fans felt fit the franchise better. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie Just Drew A Comparison No Linebacker Can Ignore
The Buccaneers used the 2026 NFL Draft to add more talent on defense, bringing in Rueben Bain Jr., Keionte Scott and Josiah Trotter as part of a class that could shape the next wave of their roster. Trotter arrives with a familiar football name attached, and the linebacker group around him has already become one of the more interesting subplots of Tampa Bays draft haul.
Josiah Trotter, the son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, is drawing plenty of attention for what he might become in the NFL. Former Buccaneers guard Ian Beckles has already put a heavyweight comp on him, and it is the kind of praise that instantly raises the stakes for a young defender trying to carve out his place in Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]